Fond du Lac man heads to national carpentry competition

Apr. 29, 2013

Phillip Heffner, 30, of Fond du Lac, will compete in the Associated Builders and Contractors National Craft Championships in Birmingham, Ala., in the carpentry division on May 1 and 2. / Submitted photo

Written by

Samantha Strong

The Reporter Media

Ever since he was 10 years old, Phillip Heffner has been passionate about woodworking.

While he was growing up in Fond du Lac, he worked in a shop above his parents’ garage.

Eventually Heffner saved enough money to buy a scroll saw, a band saw and a table saw.

“While I was working my paper route, I was saving money to buy my first power tools,” Heffner, now 30, said. “I kept saving my money and kept buying tools and I still have most of them to this day.”

That passion for woodworking has landed Heffner a spot this week in a national competition in Birmingham, Ala. He will compete May 1 and 2 in the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Craft Championships.

The competition is only open to students in an apprenticeship program. Heffner works for North Central Construction Corporation as a carpenter apprentice.

Heffner said his interest in woodworking was piqued as a young boy when his uncle worked with him on small projects. After that, Heffner knew he wanted to pursue carpentry as a career.

Woodworking gives him a tangible sense of accomplishment, he said.

“Ten years down the line, you can say ‘I built that’ and be proud of what you did,” Heffner said. “It’s something that when you’re done, you can see that you’ve created something and made a difference.”

NCC support

Vice President of Field Operations/Principle of North Central Construction Corporation Patrick Donovan said the company is very supportive of the apprenticeship program and the competition.

Participants in the national competition are judged on the culmination of experience gained and instruction received during the four-year apprenticeship program, Donovan said.

“I think he’ll do really well,” Donovan said of Heffner. “Going to nationals, that in and of itself is something he should be proud of.”

Donovan said Heffner is well-suited to win the carpentry division of the national competition.

“He’s just got a really great attitude and is an upbeat guy,” Donovan said. “He takes a lot of pride in his craftsmanship. He’s an excellent carpenter and from a skills standpoint, he brings a lot to the table.”

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Heffner advanced to the national competition by winning the carpentry division of the ABC of Wisconsin Construction Skills Competition in January. Heffner has worked as a carpenter for seven years.

Getting there

At the state competition Heffner completed a written exam followed by a woodworking challenge. Heffner said he was given a set of blueprints and had to build a structure within set time limits.

The time limits made the event nerve-wracking, Heffner said.

“Especially after looking around at how many people you’re competing against,” he said.

Heffner will be one of 144 competitors in this week’s competition. There are 13 categories in the national competition representing 11 crafts including Carpentry, Electrical Commercial-Industrial, Electrical Residential-Commercial, Fire Sprinkler, HVAC, Instrumentation Fitting, Insulation, Millwright, Pipefitting, Plumbing, Sheet Metal, Welding-Pipe and Welding-Structural.

The first ABC National Craft Championship was held in 1987 with only a handful of participants competing in four craft competitions. More than 2,000 men and women have participated in the national competition during the past 25 years.

“Competing at the national level is a significant accomplishment,” said Wayne Belanger, director of education for ABC of Wisconsin Inc. Apprenticeship & Training Trust. “Phillip and the other young men (from Wisconsin who are competing) represent today’s talented 21st century construction workforce who are building our state from the ground up.”